More Cricut

I think I'm starting to get a hang of my Cricut. I'm testing a few things out and having tonnes of fun! I made a couple of cards, just trying out a few things.

This one is for my good friend who just had a baby boy:

Ooh I love it! Making cards is so much more fun when I can make adorable little giraffes!

Here's another that I did for some future date:

The grass was a lot of fun. For the grass, flower and leaf I used the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge. For the text and giraffe I used the Sugar and Spice cartridge.
And a few birthday cards:

I'm not sure if you can see, but there are a few presents on each of the cards that I popped out. Not the greatest pictures, I know, but I've never claimed to be a photographer. For the text on these brithday cards, I used the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge.
I think I'm going to have to be careful not to spend too much time on this and neglect my kids. It will be tricky, 'cause it's so much fun!

Cricut

Hooray! Yesterday my mother's day gift (that I picked out for myself) came in the mail. I got a a Cricut Expression (die-cutting machine) and Your Story (book binder and laminator).

I am so excited to make fun cards and scrapbooking pages. I have been making my own cards for years, but I had limited resources and they always looked amateur. Now there will be more things that I can do with this new machine and it will be lots of fun. So right away I unpacked the Cricut and tried it out. I'm still getting the hang of it but here are my first two (simple) attempts.

Hopefully my mother and mother-in-law won't see these pictures before they get them! I couldn't wait to show the pictures though, I'm too excited about my new Cricut! Next step: get some fun cartridges and get to work!

Not A Baby Anymore

I think it's time for a toddler bed. I've been putting it off as long as I could but now I think it is inevitable. My 23 month old son "G" has learned how to climb out of the crib. Yesterday I put him down for his nap. He was fussing a little when I left and then I heard a 'thump' and then the doorknob turning. He opened the door, looking guilty, and said, "Hi Momma." Then this morning as I was getting ready I heard him open the door again. There's no use keeping him in a crib anymore, and I don't want him to hurt himself by climbing out of the crib. "G" will be two this month and he's getting so big. Putting him in a toddler bed is the next step - he won't be a baby anymore.

Busy, Busy, Busy.

It has been busy lately, and it's getting busier. So much is going on. My 5 year old daughter "E" is finishing up ballet for the year and has classes, dress rehearsals and performances. She is also playing soccer twice a week and is in school. My husband "A" is working hard and playing just as hard. He is the lead guitarist in a band and they have been booking gigs, recording, and are going to be playing in a few festivals coming up. My 23 month old son "G" is just a crazy, busy boy and always keeps me on my toes. For myself I am finding that I am a soccer mom, a ballet mom, and a groupie. Not to mention I am a youth leader in my church and we have activities once a week as well as a campout coming up. I am starting to train for a half marathon and trying to plan a weekend getaway for just me. I am planning on seeing the Broadway musical "Wicked" and need to plan for babysitters etc. I have to travel six hours to go and see it, but it will be so worth it.

Scheduling has been rough and it's stressing me out a little. I always told myself that I would never be one of those mom's with their kids in every activity and so busy that nothing really gets done and I have no time for myself. It's not that "E" is in a lot, the two activites just overlap for a few weeks. But it's all the activities from the whole family combined that make it difficult. Well, I guess I'll figure it out.

My Muse

The shower is my muse. Let me explain.  Shower time is alone time, me time. I'm away from the kids, chores, the phone, and everything else in the house. It's all about me. I love the shower. And when I'm in there ideas and thoughts come to me. It's my brainstorming time. Characters and plots develop for my writing projects. Complications in my stories that I have been thinking about and mulling over, suddenly I know how to resolve them and they become clear. It's great. I get some of my best ideas in the shower.

Sometimes I wish I could stay in the shower for hours, but then little hands knock on the door or the hot water runs out, and suddenly my creativity is interrupted and the muse is gone. I need to get back to the real world where little people need me, chores need to be done, and I am Mommy again.

Making Bread Again

So I think I have the hang of it. My Bosch no longer crashes to the floor (you can read about that here) and my bread looks and tastes pretty good. I feel like such a good mother! Fresh home made bread still warm from the oven is the best!

Here are my latest efforts, a combination of whole wheat and rye flour:

Looks so yummy! The only problem with making my own bread, is that I want to eat it... all the time! I'm trying to eat healthier and not snack (I've already lost 14 lbs!) and fresh bread is just so good to snack on! Oh well.  I'll just have to be extra vigilant.

My Blankie

My 23 month old son "G" has recently been really attached to his blanket. He calls it his blankie and wants to take it everywhere with him. He sneaks it outside in the mud and it gets filthy and then he gets mad when I bring it inside. This all started a few months ago when "G" got sick. He just wanted to cuddle and have the comfort of his blanket and soother. Before he would just have those at nap and bed time, but now he wants them all the time.

This morning, when "G" was distracted, I snuck his blankie downstairs into the wash. I forgot about the load of laundry until after we were finished eating lunch and then hurried downstairs to put the wet laundry in the dryer. Soon after, "G" started asking for his blankie. I told him it was in the dryer and he could have it when it was all done. He started getting upset, but then calmed down a few minutes later. All of a sudden, there he was standing next to me showing me his blankie. "Blankie Momma," he says. "G" had gone downstairs, opened the dryer, and pulled out his wet blanket. He was so proud that he had figured out how to get his blankie all by himself.

I felt like a monster taking it away from him to put it back in the dryer. I explained to him that it was wet and wasn't finished in the dryer yet. He was furious - in fact he still hasn't calmed down yet and it has been a good ten minutes. Hopefully he'll calm down soon and have a nap, blankie or no blankie.... I can hope right?